Noble Park locals bewildered at State Government’s sky train announcement
ANGRY people living in a town in Melbourne’s southeast have accused the State Government of leaving them clueless over controversial sky train plans.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
NOBLE Park residents have accused the State Government of leaving them up in the air over controversial sky train plans.
As part of the Government’s rail crossing removal project, a 2.7km elevated train line will be built over the Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Rd crossings, with open space beneath. The Noble Park station will also be rebuilt as part of the project, which is expected to be completed by 2018.
Critics have slammed the plan, saying it will destroy privacy, create noise pollution and encourage graffiti and vandalism.
Frustrated Noble Park Community Action Forum members gathered last Wednesday.
“People are wondering how it happened,” group president and Greater Dandenong councillor Roz Blades said.
“We haven’t heard much since we met the level crossing authority in August, only to find out in the papers about the sky train plan.”
Resident Jim Laidlaw said the lack of information was “disappointing to say the least”.
“If you look at other places which have elevated sky trains, they are places that can’t be developed,” he said. “You’re not going to have community activities under a railway. Why would anyone go and sit beneath a concrete railway?”
Pharmacy worker Shameel Fernando said the sky train would be “a bit of an eyesore”.
However, group secretary Gaye Guest said residents were pleased by one aspect of the plan — the removal of the level crossings.
“The community has progressively had more and more interruptions from the level crossing,” she said.
“But this is not going to help Noble Park as a city.”
Cr Sean O’Reilly last week raised concerns about who would be responsible for maintaining the 225,000sq m of open space to be created beneath the sky train.
Glen Eira councillors have also been told houses along the sky train route would not get compensation once trains ran above their houses.
There will be a community session this Saturday from 9am-noon, and on March 9 from 5-8pm, at Paddy O’Donoghue Centre, 18-34 Buckley St, Noble Park.
The authority is also meeting Noble Park Community Action Forum at the Paddy O’Donoghue Centre on February 24.
*Details: levelcrossings.vic.gov.au
Big plans
■ Removal of nine level crossings from Caulfield to Dandenong
■ Five rebuilt stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park
■ An elevated rail design
■ 225,000sq m of new open space
■ 12km of shared pedestrian and bicycle path
■ The entire project is expected to cost $1.6 billion
■ The money for proposal was allocated in the 2015-16 State Budget
■ Work to be completed by the end of 2018